Max (previously HBO Max) and Hulu are two of the most effective streaming companies within the US, but when like us you possibly can’t justify subscribing to each service then it is essential to know which service delivers essentially the most leisure bang on your streaming bucks.
That’s why we have written this information. We’ve in contrast the costs, plans, options, app experiences and content material of every beneath, and naturally we have in contrast what there may be to look at too.
Both Max and Hulu are US companies, and whereas Max is at the moment launching in some extra nations neither service is at the moment obtainable in Australia or the UK – though within the case of Max, there are some choices for would-be viewers within the UK.
Max was launched as HBO Max in 2020 to switch two streamers: HBO Now and HBO Go. It’s owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and options leisure from studios together with Warners, Discovery, HBO, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Animal Planet and sporting channels too.
Hulu is owned by one other leisure large: Disney. It started in 2007 as a three way partnership that includes News Corp (now twenty first Century Fox) and NBC Universal, launched a streaming service in 2010 and have become a completely Disney property in 2023. Although it makes its personal reveals, most of its catalog comes from Hollywood studios and TV networks.
So which is the higher purchase, Max or Hulu? Let’s discover out.
Max vs Hulu: Price and plans
As of December 2024, these are the three plans that Max provides:
There are some essential variations between these plans. Ad-Lite viewers are restricted to 2 units at 1080p decision and 5.1 encompass sound. The most premium plan, Ultimate Ad Free, provides you 4 simultaneous streams, 4K and Dolby Atmos the place obtainable.
Hulu is barely extra complicated as a result of it has two totally different companies, Hulu and Live TV. As you’d anticipate, that latter possibility provides reside TV channels to your streaming service.
Hulu with advertisements is $9.99 a month/$99.99 a yr, and if you wish to go ad-free it is $18.99 a month.
Hulu + Live TV with advertisements is $82.99 a month. The ad-free possibility takes the worth to $95.99 a month.
All costs listed here are the usual costs; they’re generally discounted, and it is best to see the most effective deal costs on this web page.
Max vs Hulu: What are you able to watch?
Hulu is dwelling to a dizzying vary of reveals and films, with highlights together with Sons of Anarchy, Justified, The Old Man, Rick and Morty, Extraordinary, The Bear, What We Do In The Shadows, Schitt’s Creek, Atlanta, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Only Murders In The Building, Shōgun and classics reminiscent of Frasier. It’s a very enormous catalog and it is significantly robust for what’s generally referred to as “consolation watching” – the form of viewing the place you compromise in for a comfy viewing of your favourite comedy.
That’s to not say it does not hit exhausting. The Old Man may be very grownup, as is the astonishing Shōgun, and there is tons of gripping drama too.
Movies-wise, there’s a sensible choice starting from Alien: Romulus to Poor Things, Thelma, Late Night With The Devil, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and older classics reminiscent of The Sixth Sense. It’s an honest choice however it’s with TV reveals that Hulu actually shines.
If you go for the Hulu+ Live TV package deal you additionally get entry to over 95 reside TV channels together with ABC and ESPN, FX and PBS, Nickelodeon and Vevo. And you can even bundle Hulu with Disney+ and ESPN+.
Max has its fair proportion of massive hitters too, together with The Last of Us, Hacks, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Friends, Flight of the Conchords, I May Destroy You, The White Lotus, Boardwalk Empire, The Penguin and HBO classics reminiscent of The Sopranos, True Detective, The Wire and Six Feet Under.
HBO has a fame for making high quality drama of the box-set selection and that fame is well-deserved; if you have not seen the likes of The Wire or Six Feet Under they greater than justify the subscription worth, and The Penguin reveals that HBO continues to be making nice TV.
Max’s film catalog goes again a great distance, and meaning there’s all the pieces from immediately’s blockbusters to The Wizard of Oz right here. The Christopher Nolan Batman motion pictures are right here, as is Mad Max: Fury Road; you possibly can stream Barbie, Priscilla, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Spirited Away too. That enormous and historic catalog makes Max a very good selection for film followers.
Both streamers are additionally continually including new content material. Max front-loads its new releases in the beginning of the month after which provides a couple of new issues over the remainder of the month; Hulu provides numerous content material all through your complete month.
How typically do Max and Hulu refresh content material?
Max vs Hulu: options
| With advertisements | Ads, 2 simultaneous streams, Full HD decision, and no downloads. |
| Ad-free | No advertisements, 2 simultaneous streams, Full HD decision, and 30 downloads to units. |
| Unlimited ad-free | No advertisements, 4 simultaneous streams, Full HD decision, 4K Ultra HD, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, HDR10, and 100 downloads to units. |
Max streams in 1080p until you are taking out the Ultimate Ad-Free plan. That provides you 4K, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision and HDR10, and it additionally allows you to obtain as much as 100 titles for offline watching.
Hulu’s video high quality is show-dependent quite than subscription-dependent; it streams reside TV at as much as 1080p, and TV and films at as much as 4K with HDR.
As of December 2024 Hulu restricted account sharing to folks dwelling below the identical roof whereas Max had no such restriction. But that is going to alter in 2025 as Max begins to roll out its personal limits. We do not but know what the boundaries will probably be or once they take impact however “very like different streamers” and “early 2025” appear to be fairly secure bets.
| With advertisements: | Ads, 2 simultaneous streams, Full HD decision with some content material obtainable in Ultra HD (no downloading). |
| No advertisements: | No advertisements, 2 simultaneous streams, Full HD decision with some content material obtainable in Ultra HD and downloads to six cell units. |
Max vs Hulu: Design
Both Max and Hulu observe the identical design approaches as their rival streamers, however there are nonetheless some key variations.
Hulu allows you to stream to 2 units concurrently and obtain as much as 25 titles on as much as 5 cell units. There’s additionally an Unlimited Screens add-on in case you’re a subscriber to its Live TV service.
With Max, the Ad-Lite plan does not allow you to obtain movies and TV collection to look at on the go. With the Ad Free tier you get 30 offline downloads, whereas the Ultimate package deal permits you obtain as much as 100 motion pictures and reveals for offline viewing.
Hulu’s most attention-grabbing characteristic is its cloud-based digital video recorder, which provides reside TV subscribers limitless on-line storage for his or her recorded reveals. They’ll stay obtainable for as much as 9 months from recording supplied you retain subscribing.
Max vs Hulu: Verdict
If you are within the US and wish an enormous quantity of alternative in motion pictures and reveals, each Max and Hulu ship – though it is price noting that neither service fairly made the lower for our picks of the most effective streaming companies.
We’d argue that Max is the higher possibility for most individuals because of its glorious film library, its catalog of status TV drama and its funding in spellbinding new reveals reminiscent of The Penguin. That’s to not say Hulu is a foul streaming service; removed from it. But it feels prefer it’s extra a service for cable TV wire cutters than an thrilling vacation spot in its personal proper.
Ready to change streaming companies? Here’s all the pieces that you must learn about Max, and this is all the pieces that you must learn about Hulu.
